All’s fair in love and work. The first standalone romance by New York Times and #1 international bestselling author Christina Lauren (Beautiful Bastard) is a sexy, compulsively readable romantic comedy that dives headlong into the thrill and doubt of modern love.

Despite the odds against them from an embarrassing meet-awkward at a mutual friend’s Halloween party, Carter and Evie immediately hit it off. Even the realization that they’re both high-powered agents at competing firms in Hollywood isn’t enough to squash the fire.

But when their two agencies merge—causing the pair to vie for the same position—all bets are off. What could have been a beautiful, blossoming romance turns into an all-out war of sabotage. Carter and Evie are both thirtysomething professionals—so why can’t they act like it?

Can Carter stop trying to please everyone and see how their mutual boss is really playing the game? Can Evie put aside her competitive nature long enough to figure out what she really wants in life? Can their actor clients just be something close to human? Whether these two Hollywood love/hatebirds get the storybook Hollywood ending or just a dramedy of epic proportions, you will get to enjoy Christina Lauren’s heartfelt, raucous, and hilarious romance style at its finest.

Evie Abbey is a highly successful features talent agent at Price & Dickles in Los Angeles. She meets Carter Aaron, a television literary talent agent at CT Management, when they both attend a costume party hosted by mutual friends and they’re the only singles. Turns out they really clicked, even though they worked for competing agencies. When circumstances play a cruel joke and they end up not only working together but in direct competition for the same job, things get…well, complicated.

What I really loved about this story was its authenticity. Most of us know how cutthroat the Hollywood industry can be so there’s no way to avoid having two successful people not have a little larceny in their souls. Evie and Carter react so honestly when thrust into situations where their personal and professional relationships are tested. Add in a truly repugnant, sexist manager who has it in for Evie and the resultant brew is toxic. These two resort to pranks and other silly games to one up each other for a time and some are hilarious but mostly just not who they are. Balancing a secret personal relationship was challenging and it rang true.

But mostly what’s on display is the disparity in the treatment of women in the workplace. It takes him a bit but Carter finally gets it. Seeing it played out from his point of view was enlightening. He’s a good guy and still moves slowly to call it out. It doesn’t bog down the story and realistically portrays how women adjust to their unfortunate normal.

While I have other books by the author, this is my first read. Now I understand what all the fuss is about. The characters and situations are crafted intelligently with a careful lens through reality. I’d like these people if I met them, more because of their imperfections. The two narrators, Shayna Thibodeaux and Deacon Lee, became these characters and represented them perfectly. I’m so glad I opted for the audio version! I enjoyed the characters, their relationships, the humor and the story they lived. Now, if I could just get more of this author’s titles on my reading schedule.

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About Christina Lauren

Yes, there are two of us! Lauren (on the left) and Christina (on the right).

Christina Lauren is the combined pen name of long-time writing partners/besties/soulmates/brain-twins Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings. The coauthor duo writes both Young Adult and Adult Fiction, and together has produced nine New York Times bestselling novels. Their books have been translated into 23+ languages.

I LOVE reading and am just crazy about so many series and writers. I’m open to exploring new authors and genres and appreciate those who not only write well but can deliciously craft a character and a tale. Your suggestions for new authors and titles are very much welcomed.

I also love to talk about books. There’s nothing more exciting than to finish a great story and cover it A to Z with other people, exploring different perspectives and points of view. So, if you see something on my shelf you’d like to talk about, send me a message and we’ll talk!